Employee Policy
Senators want more frequent security clearance reviews
Four senators are asking the leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to act on a bill to strengthen security clearance background checks.
Employee Policy
Senator to form whistleblower caucus
A long-time advocate of federal whistleblowers said he will form a caucus aimed at making sure whistleblower laws are enforced.
Employee Policy
Boehner pushes for VA accountability bill
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has thrown in with supporters of legislation that would give the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs the authority to demote or remove senior VA officials for poor performance.
Employee Policy
House members ask for 'official time' report
Two members of Congress are pressing Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta to release a report on the amount of "official time" federal employees used in fiscal 2012.
Employee Policy
Report details FDA surveillance of agency whistleblowers
A new report released this week offered details on a Food and Drug Administration surveillance program that monitored federal whistleblowers.
Retirement
President's budget proposal will not include 'chained CPI'
The president's upcoming budget proposal will not include a controversial new method for calculating cost-of-living adjustments, a White House spokesman confirmed this week.
Employee Policy
Congress OKs suspension of debt limit
Congress last week passed legislation to suspend the federal debt limit for slightly more than one year.
Pay
Congress votes to repeal military COLA cut
Congress voted last week to repeal a recently passed reduction in retirement pay for military retirees under the age of 62.
Employee Policy
USPS reports losses; postal reform bill advances
The U.S. Postal Service this month reported some improvements in its overall financial picture in the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, but the agency said it nonetheless finished the quarter with a net loss of $354 million.
Employee Policy
Debt limit clock ticking
As it has done numerous times in recent years, the Treasury Department announced the implementation of "extraordinary measures" to protect the nation's credit until Congress passes legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling.
Employee Policy
Group: Don't vilify federal contractors
A trade group that represents professional and technical services industries that serve the government cautioned against vilifying contractors amid recent allegations that one investigations firm took shortcuts in conducting thousands of federal security clearances.
Employee Policy
USPS posts losses; postal reform bill advances
While the U.S. Postal Service reported some improvements in its overall financial picture in the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year, it nonetheless finished the quarter with a net loss of $354 million.
Pay
Bill would impose five-year ban on VA executive bonuses
The House unanimously approved a bill that would ban performance bonuses for five years for Senior Executive Service employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Employee Policy
No vote on postal reform bill
A Senate committee this week postponed consideration of a postal reform bill after committee members were unable to resolve several key issues and proceed with the mark- up of the legislation.
Pay
FEW publishes annual 'report card' for Congress
A federal employee group that grades members of Congress on how consistently they support the interests of federal employees—women feds in particular—said its voting scorecard for the first session of the 113th Congress shows a rising number of perfect and high scores—but also a soaring number of "zero" scores.
Employee Policy
Bill would improve wide range of veterans benefits
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs this week offered details on sweeping legislation he has introduced that would reform and improve the nation's veterans benefits programs.
Employee Policy
AFGE opposes spending cap on TSA screeners
One lawmaker who is a longtime critic of the Transportation Security Administration said he will soon propose legislation to privatize all federal screeners, a move the American Federation of Government Employees vehemently opposes.
Pay